Weighing the effect of death in a new rheumatoid arthritis study

Wall Street investors went a little berserk recently when four deaths were reported in a current trial of a new Pfizer drug called tofacitinib for rheumatoid arthritis.

Pfizer stock plunged when the news hit the wire.

Now you would think these masters of fine print would have read the fine print where they would have found the information that three of the deaths “were not drug related.”

Yeah, that’s kind of a key point.

But when things were still looking bleak, one New York fund manager was trying to keep his chin up, telling Bloomberg that the deaths might not be statistically significant.

I’ll resist the urge to jump up on my soapbox and shout how four deaths linked to a supplement would be an international crisis while four deaths in a drug trial can be “statistically insignificant.”

But I have to share this further analysis he offered. “That may not even matter because people are so sensitive about safety concerns these days.”

Oh sure–you know how “people” are–just SO sensitive about not dying.

He makes it sound as if safety is a nutty fad that will eventually pass. THEN the drug industry can finally get back to one of the things it does best: rushing drugs to market with vague safety profiles and lots of fingers crossed.

Sources:
“Pfizer Falls After Four Deaths Occur in Study of Arthritis Drug” Tom Randall, Bloomberg, 4/21/11, bloomberg.com
“Pfizer Comments on ORAL Sync Tofacitinib Data in EULAR Abstract LB0005” Pfizer press release, 4/21/11, pfizer.com